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 A scene from " First Summer " starring Heo Jin (KAFA)

"First Summer," director Huh Ga-young's graduation film from the Korean Academy of Film Arts, has been selected for the Cinefondation section at the upcoming 78th Cannes Film Festival, the Korean Film Council said Wednesday.

The short film, which pairs veteran actor Heo Jin with Jung In-ki, follows an elderly woman who begins to chart a new path for herself after having dedicated her life solely to her family. In interviews with local media, Huh described the work as a tribute to her grandmother.

"First Summer" marks the second Korean work invited to this year's festival, following animator Jung Yu-mi's "Glasses," which will compete in the Critics' Week short film competition. A Korean feature film has yet to be included in the festival's lineup.

Cinefondation, now known as La Cinef, was founded in 1998 as a platform to spotlight emerging filmmaking talent from film schools worldwide. The competitive section selects 15-20 short and medium-length student films annually from over 1,000 submissions.

Korean films have maintained a presence in this section since 2001, when Kim Young-nam's "I Can Fly To You But You…" became the first Korean entry.

The country has produced several award winners ever since. Most recently, Hwang Hye-in's thriller "Hole" claimed second prize at the 76th festival in 2023. Yoon Dae-won's "Cicada," which follows a transgender sex worker during one transformative night, also claimed second prize in 2021.

Several Cinefondation alumni have made their marks in Korean commercial cinema. Cho Sung-hee, whose 2009 entry "Don't Step Out of the House" earned third place, went on to direct the smash-hit romance "A Werewolf Boy" (2012) and Netflix's sci-fi blockbuster "Space Sweepers" (2019). Park Young-ju, invited in 2016, recently directed the feature "A Citizen of a Kind" (2024) starring Ra Mi-ran.

The 78th Cannes Film Festival runs May 13 to May 24.

By Moon Ki-hoon

The Korean Herald (Click)